Karl Kraus was the son of a Jewish paper merchant in North Bohemia.
In 1877 the family moved to Vienna, where he studied philosophy.

He
became famous as the editor and publisher of the satirical magazine
"Die Fackel" ("The Torch", 1899-1936). Collaborators to the
Fackel were Detlev von Liliencron and Else Lasker-Schüler. Kraus
was known for his biting sarcasm and his arrogance, but his
readers admired his brilliant style and he was regarded as the
most influential satirist of his time. In 1909 he started publishing
aphorisms in "Sprüche und Widersprüche". During World War I
he criticized Austrian war policies and the Fackel was closed
down by the authorities several times. In the twenties he turned
his rage especially against the Viennese police forces and the
theatre critic Alfred Kerr.

Allthough he was a Jew
himself he didn't hesitate to attack the Jews in his writings.
On Freud's psychoanalysis he wrote that it was the illness it
pretended to be able to cure. Krass argued in favour of sexual
liberation for women, but he fought hypocrisy and intellectual
corruption. Kraus hated the machine age. He loved the use of
language, but he hated those who abused it.

He lived
most of his life in Vienna and his lectures in Berlin and Vienna
were famous. Kraus died lonely and embittered.

Works:
"Worte in Versen" (9 volumes, 1916-1930); "Die letzten Tage
der Menschheit" ("The Last Days of Mankind", 1919, on World
War I).

Private performance in Vienna of Frank Wedekind's "Die Büchse der Pandora". The play was first performed at 1 Feb 1904 at the Intime Theater in Nürnberg, but banned by the German censors afterwards. Karl Kraus organised a private performance at the Trianon Theatre in Vienna. Tilly Newes played Lulu and Albert Heine played Schigolg and was the director. Adele Sandrock had the part of Gräfin Geschwitz, Ida Orloff was Kadidja di Santa Croce and Karl Kraus was Kungu Pote. Wedekind himself played the murderer Jack.&nbsp[Orloff, Ida][Sandrock, Adele][Wedekind, Frank][Wedekind, Tilly]

Images

The grave of Karl Kraus at the Zentralfriedhof, Vienna.Picture by Androom (25 Jan 1999)